OTD: Your Daily Dose of Soccer History

17 Laws Guy
  • 5.0 (4)
  • SOCCER
  • UPDATED DAILY

A daily show about football’s past—told in less than 10 minutes. OTD blends narrative with researched sources, timelines, and the laws behind the drama, from iconic goals to obscure controversies. Why you’ll love it: zero fluff and stories you can share with confidence. Come for the nostalgia, stay for the “I never knew that” moments. Send ideas or fixes to otd@17lawsguy.com

  1. 16H AGO

    OTD E0109 — 17 Feb 1968: Cyprus 2, Switzerland 1 — The Upset That Made a New Nation Feel Real

    17 Feb 1968: Cyprus had lost 5–0 in the reverse fixture. Switzerland had World Cup pedigree and a deep football tradition. And yet, On This Day, Cyprus pulled off their first-ever competitive international win — 2–1 — in a UEFA Euro 1968 qualifier. The twist? Cyprus scored all three goals: an early own goal… followed by two strikes that turned a “routine away win” into a national landmark. In this episode: Cyprus football’s early years, why Euro qualifying in the 1960s was so brutal, the match itself (and its three-goal oddity), and what the upset meant — for Cyprus, for Switzerland, and for the shifting hierarchy of European football. Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    10 min

  2. 1D AGO

    OTD E0108 — 16 Feb 1867: The Youdan Cup — Sheffield, Rouges, and the First Tournament in Football History

    16 Feb 1867: Football’s first tournament began in Sheffield: the Youdan Cup. Twelve local clubs. Sheffield Rules. “Rouges” as tiebreakers. Replays on Monday. A final at Bramall Lane that ended 0–0… and was decided by two late rouges as Hallam became football history’s first cup winners. From there, the trail leads straight to the Cromwell Cup, the FA Cup, leagues, and the entire modern culture of knockout football. The blueprint starts here. Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    12 min

  3. 2D AGO

    OTD E0107 — 15 Feb 1998: El Tri’s Trifecta — Mexico, the USA, and the Gold Cup That Previewed ’98

    15 Feb 1998: Mexico 1–0 USA in front of 91,255 at the LA Coliseum — a heavily pro-Mexico crowd, a World Cup months away, and one header from Luis Hernández that sealed the Gold Cup’s only three-peat (1993–96–98). Plus: the tournament’s wild supporting cast — Canada withdrawing, Jamaica stepping in and stunning Brazil 0–0, and the USA beating Brazil for the first time ever in the semifinal before falling at the final hurdle. A story about a rivalry, a confederation finding its stage, and a final that still echoes.Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    10 min

  4. 3D AGO

    OTD E0106 — 14 Feb 1953: One Leg, Two Clubs — Derek Dooley, Deepdale, and the Day Football Nearly Lost Him

    14 Feb 1953: Preston North End vs Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale. No substitutes, winter pitches, and a goal from Tom Finney to keep Preston top — but the match became secondary to a collision that shattered Derek Dooley’s leg. Infection set in. Gas gangrene followed. His right leg was amputated above the knee — and the football world held its breath. Dooley survived, returned to the sport, managed Sheffield Wednesday, and later became a senior figure at Sheffield United — a rare legend embraced by both sides of the city. A story about danger, resilience, and the long arc of player welfare.Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    9 min

  5. 4D AGO

    OTD E0105 — 13 Feb 2000: The Ghost Kick — Ikpeba, Rigobert Song, and the Line Nobody Saw

    13 Feb 2000: Nigeria vs Cameroon. AFCON final. Lagos. 2–2 after extra time. And then: Victor Ikpeba’s fourth penalty — off the bar, down over the line… disallowed. No VAR. No goal-line tech. Confusion in the stadium, disbelief on the pitch, and Rigobert Song converting the last kick to seal Cameroon’s third AFCON crown. A story about rivalry, injustice, and the long road to technology in football. Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    9 min

  6. 5D AGO

    OTD E0104 — 12 Feb 2007: The Coach Behind the Curtain — Georg Buschner, Stasi Shadows, and East Germany’s Golden Decade

    12 Feb 2007: Georg Buschner passes in Jena — and with him, the defining coach of East German football’s golden decade. Behind the Iron Curtain, Buschner builds a machine: Carl Zeiss Jena titles, sports science, and a national team that peaks in the 1970s — Olympic bronze (1972), Olympic gold (1976), and the unforgettable World Cup night in Hamburg: Sparwasser’s 1–0 over West Germany (1974). But the story has shadows too: Stasi files, state “amateurism”, and a football world that professionalizes fast — leaving the GDR model behind. Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    9 min

  7. 6D AGO

    OTD E0103 — 11 Feb 1981: Tokyo, Not Montevideo — Nacional, Nottingham Forest, and the First Toyota Cup

    11 Feb 1981: The Intercontinental Cup was supposed to crown the world’s best club — Europe vs South America.But for years it was bruised by violence, boycotts, and European champions refusing to play.So the game reinvented it. Tokyo hosts the first Toyota Cup: one match, neutral venue.Nacional (1980 Libertadores winners) face Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest (1979–80 European Cup winners).10 minutes in, Waldemar Victorino scores — and a 1–0 win launches a new era for the world club final, on the road to the FIFA Club World Cup.Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    9 min

  8. FEB 10

    OTD E0102 — 10 Feb 1996: Chick to Cheek — Ivano Bonetti, Brian Laws, and the Plate That Broke a Cheekbone

    10 Feb 1996: Grimsby Town lost 3–2 away at Luton in England’s old First Division (the second tier). That’s the result. The story is what happened around it — the moment English football produced a sentence that still sounds impossible: a manager, a plate of chicken wings, and a fractured cheekbone. We trace the match, the pressure-cooker context of mid-90s Football League life, and how Ivano Bonetti — an Italian champion and cult hero at Grimsby — collided with Brian Laws, a young player-manager furious after defeat. Ideas: otd@17lawsguy.com

    9 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

A daily show about football’s past—told in less than 10 minutes. OTD blends narrative with researched sources, timelines, and the laws behind the drama, from iconic goals to obscure controversies. Why you’ll love it: zero fluff and stories you can share with confidence. Come for the nostalgia, stay for the “I never knew that” moments. Send ideas or fixes to otd@17lawsguy.com

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